Books I Bought Because of Cover Love

Yeah, I know I’m a day late again (making it three for three haha!) but I was having a totally lazy day yesterday so even though I prepared a topic, I did not actually put it all together.

The prompt was: Books I Bought/Borrowed Because… (Fill in the blank. You can do 10 books you bought for the same reason, i.e., pretty cover, recommended by a friend, blurbed by a favorite authors, etc. OR you could do a different reason for each pick.)

I openly admit to being a sucker for a pretty cover (I’m all about aesthetics!) and have bought many a book because the cover drew me in. It doesn’t always work out but I’ve sometimes stumbled onto a cracker of a read.

Here are some books that caught my eye simply because of the covers:

1. Made You Up by by Francesca Zappia

I love the composition of this cover – the watercolour textures made to look like rain, it’s just very appealing to me. I haven’t read the book (yet) but I had to buy the gorgeous hardback – it was too pretty not too!

2. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Another stunning cover! I’m not always a fan of protagonists on covers (it depends on how well it is implemented) but this one works for me.

3. Dreamstrider by Lindsay Smith

I love the almost abstract look of this cover – there’s a lot going on but it makes you want to take a closer look. I dig it.

4. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

One of the rare photographic images that actually works for me (I generally prefer illustrated characters if a character is used at all). I just really like this one.

5. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Gorgeous – just absolutely gorgeous. This cover really nails it in all the right ways. I love the colours, the illustration – just all of it works for me.

6. Wilder Girls by Rory Power

I love the cutaway look on the girl’s face and the softer background tones – it really tells a story in itself. Definitely one of my favourite covers.

7. Ziggy, Stardust and Me by by James Brandon

C’mon, this cover is just so pretty! The artwork is fantastic, the colours work really well together and it really speaks to the 70’s era. I fell in love with this cover at first sight (the books pretty great too!)

8. When My Heart Was Wicked by Tricia Stirling

I love the juxtaposition of light and darkness on this cover – it is very cleverly depicted! Given the story is about a girl dealing with her ‘dark’ side it is also quite apt!

9. The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill

There is nothing I don’t love about this cover! The style is definitely one I’m drawn to – I love intricately detailed illustrations and The Surface Breaks is one of the most stunning covers I’ve ever seen (the picture really doesn’t do it justice – you need to see it in person to really appreciate it, I think…)

10. The Sea of Tranquility by by Katja Millay

I love how simple this cover is on the surface but when you look deeper you see there is more going on. At first you just see the silhouettes – then you notice other details like the spilled liquid that forms these figures. It’s a study in simplicity and it just works for me.